Townsend sparks No. 13 Gonzaga past Pepperdine 64-50

Feb 23, 2020, 12:13 am

MALIBU, Calif. -- Jill Townsend scored 12 of her 13 points in the a game-changing third quarter to propel No. 13 Gonzaga to a 64-50 win over Pepperdine on Saturday.

Townsend, who missed her only two shots in the first half when she picked up two fouls, helped the Bulldogs breakaway from a 26-23 lead at intermission with a 23-9 advantage in the third quarter. This was the 16th game this season Gonzaga, which beat the Waves 70-36 in the first meeting, did not allow more than 50 points.

Melody Kempton added 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Bulldogs (27-2, 16-1 West Coast Conference), Jessie Loera added 10 points and Jenn Wirth grabbed 10 rebounds.

Townsend made her first basket on Gonzaga's first possession in the third quarter and picked up her third foul 21 seconds later. She stayed in the game and had another inside basket before her personal 8-0 run late in the quarter. Townsend, who fouled out with 2:02 to play, had a pair of 3-pointers and a layup. Kempton's layup in the closing seconds made it 49-32.

Gonzaga, which shot only 40%, was 10 of 21 in the third quarter with three 3s and had 15 rebounds while holding Pepperdine to 18% shooting. The Waves missed their last six shots in the period.

Monique Andriuolo and Hannah Friend had 10 points each for Pepperdine.

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